WHAT DID JESUS REALLY SAY ABOUT WARS, FAMINES,
PESTILENCES AND EARTHQUAKES?

OR

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS?

Recently (September 1999) the news has been reporting
on things the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about over nineteen hundred and
fifty years ago. Incredibly Jesus predicted events that are taking
place in our world today.

Jesus was asked by His disciples, "What shall
be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matthew
24:3b. Jesus gave a lengthy answer which takes up almost fifty
verses of Scripture. The first thing He said was, "Take heed
that no man deceive you." Matthew 24:4. (Why not ask the
Lord right now to keep you from being deceived; ask Him to open your
eyes to the Word of God.)

He spoke about many coming and claiming to be Christ. "For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
Matthew 24:5. There are literally thousands of people on this planet
who claim to be another Christ. Every priest of Rome and most
new-agers claim this. We do not have to go back too far to find a
couple of famous ones: Charles Manson and David Koresh. Notice Jesus
did not say many would come saying, "I am Buddha" or "I
am Caesar."

Jesus also spoke of "wars and rumours of wars."
Matthew 24:6. No sooner has the crisis in Bosnia passed, than we are
now forced into another conflict in East Timor. It is true that there
have always been wars, but this past century has produced the
bloodiest wars ever. Wars are happening more frequently and with
greater intensity.

Jesus also spoke about "famines."Matthew
24:7. Who can forget the famines of Ethiopia and the Sudan? At a
time when agricultural technology is so advanced it does not make
sense logically that famines would persist in this century. We have
irrigation systems, farm equipment, fertilizers and hardy plant
material, but Jesus words have come to pass in spite of all
this. Even the huge amounts of money and international donations of
food did not seem to get to those in need.

Jesus warned of "pestilences" in the
last days. Matthew 24:7. A pestilence is a disease or plague such as
AIDS, Ebola, syphilis or the flesh-eating disease. It is estimated
that there are thirty-three million adults and children in the world
who are HIV-infected or have full-blown AIDS. (Toronto Star,
Saturday, September 18, 1999) Think about that for a moment. That is
more people than now live in Canada! Some authorities give figures
three times that amount. AIDS gets a lot of attention, but there are
still many more sexually transmitted diseases being spread. Many
other diseases are making a comeback such as malaria and cholera.
(The vaccines are proving ineffective and sometimes harmful.) Jesus
really knew what He was talking about when He described the world we
live in today.

Another amazing prediction from the mouth of Jesus was
that in the last days there would be "earthquakes in divers places."
Matthew 24:7. Recently we have had two devastating earthquakes in
Turkey. There have been many other earthquakes as well that have not
hit major population centres. Just this week (the week ending
September 17, 1999) there have been quakes in Greece, Albania, Iran,
China, Japan, Bolivia and Los Angeles. This week a massive quake hit
Taiwan killing over twelve hundred people (and still counting). This
is nothing short of pre-recorded history taking place as we speak.
The words of Jesus Christ are as real as the front page of our daily newspaper.

Did Jesus predict the wild weather we have had
recently along the eastern coast of Florida and the Carolinas? He
most certainly did. Jesus spoke of "the sea and the waves roaring."
Luke 21:25b. That pretty much describes Hurricane Floyd. There rose
up another hurricane right after Floyd, and these storms are
increasingly common.

Who can predict the future but God alone? The Lord
Jesus Christ truly is the God of the Bible. He knows the end from the beginning.

Jesus wants us to be informed about the times in which
we live. While religious leaders today talk about peace Jesus said, "From
the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence." Matthew 11:13. Christians today have
had to pay with their lives for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Recent shootings in Denver, Colorado and Forth Worth, Texas have
claimed the lives of several Christians. Jesus was right again when
He said, "...iniquity
shall abound, (and) the love of many shall wax cold."
Matthew 24:12. Many people today have no problem murdering unborn
babies or allowing doctors to kill their terminally ill family
members. It is a stone-cold heart indeed that wants to save the
whales and the trees and butcher the babies.

The Holy Spirit likened the last days to "travail
upon a woman with child." I Thessalonians 5:3. In other
words, the last days would be like a woman giving birth to a baby.
When a woman goes into labour the pains are dull and spaced far
apart. The closer she gets to delivering her child the more intense
and frequent her pains become. This is exactly the way all these
"pains" of the last days have been. We have more false
Christs today than ever before. Wars, famines, pestilences and
earthquakes are all present with greater intensity and frequency.

Just for a moment, lets look specifically at earthquakes:

*From 1890 to 1899, there was only one
"killer" quake  6.0 or greater  recorded
anywhere in the world.

*From 1900 to 1910, there were 3.

*From 1910 to 1920, there were 2.

*From 1920 to 1930, there were 2.

*From 1930 to 1940, there were 5.

*From 1940 to 1950, there were 4.

*From 1950 to 1960, there were 9.

*From 1960 to 1970, there were 13.

*From 1970 to 1979, there were 51.

*From 1980 to 1989, there were 86.

*From 1990 to 1994, there were more than 100.

(from Planet Earth-2000 A.D. by Hal Lindsey)

It is now 1999 and this decade has seen more
earthquakes than the previous century! Birth pangs indeed!

If you are honest, you will admit that Jesus was one
hundred percent accurate in His prophecies concerning the last days.
Jesus was truthful concerning these things, and He is truthful when
He speaks of salvation and eternal life.

You can have the gift of eternal life. First, realize
that you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. "There is none
that doeth good, no, not one." Romans 3:12b.

Second, realize there is a price for sin. "For
the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23a.

Third, realize that Jesus paid the price for sin for
you. "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. "The
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." I
John 1:7b.

Fourth, realize that your salvation is a free gift and
cannot be earned or worked for. "For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 6:23.

Finally, realize you must receive Jesus Christ into
your heart by asking Him to come in. "But as many as received
Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." John
1:12a. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved." Romans 10:13.

If you have repented of your sins and received Christ
as your Saviour or have any further questions, please contact us at: